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Michigan Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center Hosts “Michigan Birds” Photo Contest, Now Through April 27

Michigan Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center “Michigan Birds” Photo Contest

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon is holding a “Michigan Birds” photo contest.

Submit a favorite photo from last year or take a trek through the woods, fields or wetlands this winter or spring and try your hand at capturing the beauty of a native Michigan bird. The deadline for submission is at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 27.

From bird feeders to lakeshores, there are many places to find photo-worthy subjects. Some examples include cardinals, chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinches, bald eagles, ospreys, wild turkeys, hooded mergansers, buffleheads, sandhill cranes and barred owls. Michigan has a very large, diverse group of birds. During any season, birds can be seen in every corner of the state in all types of habitats. Some common non-native species that will not be accepted into the contest include mute swans and all types of domestic or exotic fowl such as farm-raised chickens or geese.

Entries are limited to two photos per person. Photos must be securely matted without a frame or glass, with a minimum size of 8 x 10 inches and maximum size of 11 x 16 inches. An entry fee of $3 per photo must accompany each submission. Please include photographer’s name, address, email, phone number, name of the bird and location where the photo was taken on the back. This contest is intended for amateurs only; the works of published photographers will not be considered.

An impartial team of volunteers with knowledge of photography will judge the photos. Winners will be announced May 5. Three winners will be chosen. First, second and third place winners will receive gift cards of $100, $50 and $25 respectively. The contest is sponsored by the Gillette Nature Association in conjunction with the association’s annual Spring Blooms in the Dunes event held May 5 and a weeklong observance of International Migratory Bird Day, in cooperation with Ottawa County Parks, which will include programs and hikes scheduled for May 5-12. For more information on these events and other programs and hikes scheduled to highlight birds of Michigan, go to www.gillettenature.org or www.miottawa.org/parks.

Photos may be submitted by mail or delivered to: Gillette Nature Association, 6585 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon, MI 49441. Winning photos will be on display at the Gillette Visitor Center through June 20. Entries may be picked up on or after June 20; those not picked up within two months will become property of Gillette Nature Association.

Questions may be directed to Elizabeth Brockwell-Tillman, park interpreter, at 231-798-3573. The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center is one of 10 visitor centers managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Visit www.michigan.gov/dnrvisitorcenters for more information.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- When Richard Crossley spoke at this year’s Georgia Ornithological Society meeting, the acclaimed birder and photographer noticed the number of youth in attendance.

Crossley also noticed that each one he asked said their interest in birding began with Georgia’s Youth Birding Competition, said Tim Keyes, who coordinates the annual birdathon.

Now on a nationwide book tour, Crossley is mentioning the Youth Birding Competition as a way to get youth interested in birds. All of which certainly fits the event’s intent, according to Keyes, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.

“I think it’s giving kids an opportunity to get outside and learn about the natural world in an exciting way that catches their attention,” he said.

It also points participants toward the long-term goal: an interest in conservation, Keyes said.

The 24-hour competition sponsored by DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, The Environmental Resources Network Inc. (TERN) and other partners returns for its seventh year on April 27-28, 2012. A banquet and awards ceremony will be held April 28 at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield.

Teams register in age divisions varying from kindergarten to high school (participants compete against other teams their age, in four age divisions). Teams can also volunteer to raise money for conservation organizations on a per-bird or lump sum basis.

Some 25 teams from preschool ages to teens and ranging from first-timer birders to veterans saw or heard scores of bird species and raised nearly $1,500 during the 2011 competition.

The deadline to register for the 2012 event is March 31. The competition starts at 5 p.m. Friday, April 27, and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28. Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia.

Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must turn in their checklists at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Saturday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will be treated to a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.

The Youth Birding Competition also includes a T-shirt Art Contest – enter by March 5 – and nature journal category. Participation in the birding competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest. Taking part in both is free, aside from the optional cost of overnight lodging.

Competition sponsors include Atlanta Audubon Society and the Georgia Ornithological Society. For more information about registering for the Youth Birding Competition, visit www.georgiawildlife.org/getinvolved or contact Lacy Mitchell at Charlie Elliott Conference Center, (770) 784-3152 or lacy.mitchell@dnr.state.ga.us. Tim Keyes, at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us, can answer questions about the competition.

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.org/YBCTshirtArtContest or contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (706) 557-3226 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us.

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